1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of imprint lithography.
2. Related Art
A conventional imprint mask used in nano-imprint technology is generally a quartz or hard surface plate that has been patterned and manufactured using an electron-beam (E-beam) lithography or ion beam lithography pattern writing system. After the required pattern has been written and an image developed in a layer of a resist, the pattern is transferred into the quartz or hard surface using an etch process. A shallow topography is formed in the quartz or hard surface that can be impressed into a plastic medium to give a pattern transfer.
Using the conventional imprint mask manufacturing process, there is a resolution cost issue associated with writing 1× structures less than 30 nanometers (nm) wide. That is, it takes a very long time per square inch to manufacture the mask. Even worse, the manufactured mask may have a severely restricted useful life and it is very difficult to define the 1× imprint masks, even using E-beam technology. This is especially true for patterns having circular symmetry that can be used for imprinting, for example, data tracks onto a data storage disk.
What is needed, therefore, is a method and system for developing a nano-plate for imprint lithography that overcomes the manufacturing challenges associated with traditional imprint masks;